Legally & Magically Yours
by Sakura793
Summary: This story goes into the idea of the magical government. What if they used attorneys in wizarding law? Follow a character named Rachel Bray as she goes on an interesting adventure and meets Severus Snape while being a paralegal for the ministry. SS/OC


"Ms. Bray, I need those parchments on my desk by seven-thirty this evening, are we clear?" A tempered, Lucius Malfoy said, looking up from his desk and out into the hall at a woman who clearly looked swamped with work as it was.

_Great, another late day at the office_ she thought sarcastically, purposefully avoiding Lucius' beckonings.

"I asked, are we clear?" He continued, a little louder this time and clearly more annoyed by his tone.

Rachel was sorting through some documents for a probate case Lucius had been working on. He was administering the estate of a very old wizarding family whose father had pasted away and was trying to resolve all claims and distributing the property under their will. She had been circling, with her auto-refill quill, the anomalies of the family's case. The family, Rachel remembered, was loud and obnoxious making her want to pull her hair out in the time they had to spend sitting in the waiting room across from her. The children alone were misbehaving and the parents were too busy talking with one another to take notice, or they rather didn't care.

A couple moments later she got up and walked to Lucius' office. His office was extremely decorated with the dark mahogany woods, lavish tapestries, and several large decorative pieces resembling ancient roman pillars. Lucius sat intently at his equally wealthy-styled desk reading and ignoring the fact Rachel was pining for his attention deciding to add in a little cough in an attempt to remind him she was there.

"I would assume you have something important to say, so in fact, instead of waiting for my attention to be gained you could have wrote me a note or awaited patiently until I exited my office." Lucius said coldly, his eyes still looking down at the parchments scattered all over his desk.

She was used to his attitude by now, but was unable to fathom how he could so easily get away with treating his employees this way. The whole office was scared of his power what with being a governor of Hogwarts, a dear friend of the minister, and a bad-ass magical attorney that would take your head off if you crossed his path. Personal facts about Lucius were few and far between and all that had really been known was he was filthy rich, married to a woman named Narcissa, and had a young son named Draco who was attending Hogwarts. Only a few rumors surfaced around the office before about him being a devout You-Know-Who follower, but Lucius extinguished that rumor shortly after it arose. The person who had made the accusation retired the following day.

Rachel sighed annoyed and clearly tired, "I am sorting through the most recent legal proceedings including taking care of the research process. Do you want me to wait on this task and get the Markle vs. Duvon case files completed? I can pull out the evidence log if you are requesting that information for reference…I know you have a court session in the morning regarding this case."

Lucius nodded, before standing up and walking over to her, "I'm surprised you know my schedule so well. Are you interested in finding an allotted time where we could enjoy coffee or tea?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "First of all you're married and secondly if you would just hire a secretary to run your personal schedule I wouldn't have too."

His hand snaked up onto her shoulder and he had a firm grip on her, something Rachel had seen before with him and other women in the office. It was a clear understatement that Lucius was indeed a flirt. She turned to face him quickly, stepping back just enough to avoid close proximity. He smirked at her movement as if he expected her to resist, "Clearly marriage never stopped me before and as for a secretary I would much rather prefer you setting up my daily work."

As if a great force had taken pity on her she noticed a shadow moving its way through the blinds on Malfoy's window, a guest. _Thank the stars! _She thought, slipping out of Lucius' space and back to her own desk where she felt the mood lighten.

"How can I help you?" Rachel asked looking over the man who wore a black suit with black dress robes and black trousers who coincidentally had black hair. The office was completely empty except for her and Lucius so she couldn't quite understand why a stranger would happen in at this late hour.

"I need to speak with Lucius Malfoy." He said, just as Lucius emerged from his office and shared a long confiding handshake with the visitor. Rachel observed the two men and realized they seemed close, almost friends? She couldn't tell…

After a few moments of grateful muttering to one another Lucius ushered the tall dark man into his office and shut the door loudly getting the point across that he wished not to be disturbed.

Rachel, taking a hint sat back down at her desk and continued working on the probate case making sure she had alphabetically filed the research by family member correctly. Being Lucius' paralegal at the Department of Magical Law had its stressful moments but it was preparing her for the reality of her passion which was to be a lawyer herself and work at a private firm instead of representing the ministry and the unfair cases she watched time and again, the ministry always ending up winning even. She had respected Lucius because although he was an arrogant git, he was one hell of an attorney and his standing in the ministry reflected that judgment. In all but a handful of cases he rose triumphant, although in Rachel's opinion he was not at all a role model for anyone including herself. She had grown up in America, so after completing her 7 years in Salem, Massachusetts at the Salem Witches' Institute she went on to attend the finer Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts earning herself an associate's degree in the specialized magical law degree provided while also being a part of the National Association of Magical Legal Assistants where she started doing freelance paralegal work to gain experience. After hearing the minister of magic in England was allowing the government system to evolve with the times and begin using lawyers and attorneys in their court sessions she jumped at the chance to be a part of its growth and moved to England. She had only been at the ministry for a good five months and many could tell she was enjoying the job greatly and even had a chance to accompany Lucius to a court precession in front of the Wizengamot.

After what seemed like hours Rachel looked up from her work after hearing a loud thump, a heated argument had erupted in Lucius' office; the indications were the grasp he had on the accompanying man's throat as he had him pinned to the wall. Fearing for the situation and Lucius' temper she sprung out of her chair took out her wand and dashed to the door of his office immediately bursting the door open with a powerful wind charm and pointed her wand at his back. She didn't want to see blood spilled today, especially the blood of a stranger whom she didn't even know their name, "Lucius that is enough….or shall I notify the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" which Lucius knew was conveniently located upstairs.

Lucius looked frustrated at the girls' interruption and released the dark man's collared neck, the impression of fingers remaining just visible in certain areas, "Ah, Rachel…would you be so kind as to show our guest the way out." He turned away, as to avoid looking in my direction and instead waved a hand towards the exit.

His behavior had been completely surprising to me in this situation. I had seen him angry before, even throw a courtroom chair at an opposing attorney, but never had I seen him grab someone with such force and threaten their lives as it seemed and it made her think twice in crossing his path again. She quickly shuffled over to the dark man and waved him out of the office, keeping her mind's eye fixated on Lucius' back as though he was a dangerous predator preparing to strike.

When they vacated the office Rachel made sure to close the door behind them as to avoid another instance like before, "I apologize for his behavior to you…" I said turning back to the stranger, feeling the need to say something, anything as an apology for what happened.

The man looked at me strangely with a raised eyebrow, "You shouldn't need to apologize for another's actions."

I managed to stifle a noise in the back of my throat as though the comment was all too true and continued to show him the way out of the Department, "I'm sorry I was not able to introduce myself, I'm Rachel Bray, a paralegal here." She said, stopping and turning in a polite manner and holding her hand out for a handshake.

The man once again put on a strange, eyebrow-raised expression and lightly took my hand as though it was made of glass and he was afraid he would break it if he held on too tightly, "I'm Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…"

As we continued to walk we approached the hallway that would lead to the exit I turned on my heel towards Professor Snape, "The exit is just up this way, once again I can't help feeling the need to apologize." She really did, her boss's behavior was quite rude.

Severus managed an intent look at the woman, whom he seemed a bit amused with, "It was my fault as much as it was his." After this remark he walked away down the dark hallway, only to vanish in the shadows.

Rachel sighed as she returned to her desk, where Lucius was waiting for her. He looked as though he had been snooping around her desk as if he was looking for a window into her personal life, something she desperately tried to keep private in the office.

"What is your problem Mr. Malfoy? Honestly, he could practically sue you if he wanted to…" she said with an angry tone in her voice that seeped frustration at the moment.

He walked even closer to where she stood acting as though his actions were nothing beyond the norm, "That could only be possible if there was a witness to my behavior." his voice was almost snake-like.

Rachel looked upset and tired, clearly from lack of sleep for a couple nights no doubt to the fact she had to work unusually long hours over any one else in the office. She knew what he was getting at by mentioning his statement this way and merely nodded her head, "If I was asked to testify I would tell the truth."

Her answer seemed to greatly annoy Lucius who began circling around her; this intimidated her, "Ms. Bray, I should only hope that any employee of mine remains loyal to me in times of need. Otherwise such employees may regret their disloyalty to me. I know you are fairly new here and have yet to gain an understanding of this notion, but I feel you should be aware before you do anything rash you may regret."

Shortly after his encircling of his prey, namely Rachel, he stopped and walked promptly into his office closing the door gingerly. Rachel remained glued to the floor for a moment, almost with the feeling of violation further than that of the almost physical violation she received earlier. _What was that? _She asked herself, wondering immediately if he just threatened her.

For the remaining time of the evening she finished up what research Lucius requested and made it clear she would deliver them to his office and leave without so much as a word, which she accomplished just as Lucius himself decided to retire for the evening.

The ministry was extremely dark this late at night, and although it unnerved her, she appreciated that Malfoy walked with her to leave. Once they made it to the street outside they parted. Lucius' shadow slowly disappeared into just an outline until finally dissolving all together and out of sight.

The only light around Rachel was the soft glowing light from a dark green muggle lamp post just next to her, the buzz from the bulb inside was the only sound she heard as she stood there. Her apartment was a couple blocks away and like countless times before that she had to walk home it only heightened her senses and made her uneasier. A couple times before she had almost been the victim of a violent assault or mugging so she kept her wand in her sleeve and crossed them over her chest in a hug as she walked. The chill from the night air made the hairs on her next stand up on edge slightly as she heard an owl in the distance, which made her pause briefly before continuing.

As she turned the corner she saw a familiar sight that calmed her nerves a bit as she approached, The Leaky Cauldron. Just as she past the entrance in the alley next to the pub & inn she was stopped by a couple mysterious characters, hiding in the shadows.

"Where you going in such a hurry Miss?" One of the men asked, seemingly drunk and clearly unable to stand without leaning against the brick wall of the opposing building.

She gripped her wand from inside her sleeve and merely continued walking until the other man came up from behind her and grabbed her arm, causing her wand to fly out of her hand and land a couple yards from her reach, "He asked you a question Miss, it would be very polite of you to answer it."

Clearly, she was outnumbered and now at their mercy with no wand, she tried her best to play coy, "I apologize for I must be headed home…"

The two men grinned toward one another as they grabbed her arms and started to pull her into the dark, drafty alleyway covering her mouth so she couldn't alarm anyone. Rachel then could only imagine the horrible, awful things that could happen to her in the company of these two strangers.

Just as she thought she was doomed she felt a hand on her shoulder, wondering if she had another assailant to worry about, but before the thought could nest in her mind she saw the two men drop her arms, look back behind her terrified, and disappear into the impeding darkness of the alleyway.

As she turned around she saw a familiar face she hadn't expected to meet again, "Professor Snape…" she said, taking a moment to regain her composure, "Thank you so much. Sorry to cause you any trouble…"

He was confused at her reaction, "Why are you apologetic? Didn't you almost get carted off in the hands of two perverted characters?" It was hard to see his features but his voice reassured her that it was who she suspected, "You're lucky I stopped in the Leaky Cauldron for a drink this evening Ms. Bray." He contemplated whether mentioning the possible outcome that could have occurred had he not been there, but decided against it.

"I just hope I'm not a burden…" she quickly replied, unsure of how else to reply. She was used to having to 'apologize' for everything because she was very clumsy most of the time. Not once had she ever been asked why she was 'apologetic'.

The darkness only seemed to be getting darker in the partial alleyway where they stood. As he observed this, he glanced down at Rachel, who was bit shorter than he was and looked a little frightened, "Why don't we head into the Leaky Cauldron and I'll buy you a Butterbeer to calm your nerves than I'll walk you home…" He wasn't sure why he was offering, and it only struck him as being out of his character after he had asked.

She saw a small light flicker above her head; coming from a light perched atop the adjacent building and heard a cat screech from behind her in the dark, "I wouldn't want to t..t..take you from your evening…" she managed to say, a bit of nervous stutter in her voice.

"Please, it would be my pleasure." He said; seeing how she was unfit to do by herself for much longer. He held out his arm as an invitation, turning towards the entrance to the pub & inn and watching her intently. He took into account how 'proper' she acted and it intrigued him.

She eyes his outstretched arm curiously, wondering if he really was sincere in his gesture. It took her a moment to latch on after she decided, against her better judgment, that she would go along with this almost stranger.

Just as they walked up to the entrance Severus detached himself a moment from her arm, kneeled by the cobblestone sidewalk, and reappeared next to her with her wand.

"Thank you so much for returning my wand, I almost forgot I lost it…." Rachel said, extremely appreciative. She was warming up to the man's presence.


End file.
